Building fabric



May 28, 1929.

O. A. FREDERICKSON BUILDING FABRIC Filed Jan. 3, 1927 INVENTORJ (Zara J BY O a- ATTORNEY Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED ,STATES 1,715,080 PATENT ;0FFICE.-

OTTO A'FREDERIOKSON, WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WIRE. HOLD COMPANY, OF HABTFORD, CONNI 1CTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

BUILDING FABRIG.

Application med January 3, 1927. Serial No. 158,790.

This invention relates to roofing and building material composed of a flexible fabric such as paper which is usually rendered waterproof by the application of awaterproofing substance, and sometimes itis like- I is usually supplied in rolls, and much difficulty. has been experienced in unwinding the rolls without injurious effect to the fabric itself. The reason for this is that the waterproofing or fireproofing material, either or both, presents an adhesive surface which is more particularly manifest when an attempt is made to unwind the rolls of such building material, and in order-to avoid this difliculty it has been proposed to place upon the e terior surface of the treated building maf' ial or fabric, powdered mica, talc or the like. inherently capable of imparting to the treated surface of the, roofing fabric a nonadhesive characteristic, have not in practice been satisfactory because if a relatively thin layer of talc, mica or the like is-applied to the adhesive surface of the building material, it will not prevent the adjacent coils of the material from sticking, with the result that portl is of the, fireproofing or waterproofing material will be detached by sticking to another layer, thereby requiring that the defective section of the building or roofing material be cut out. If on the other hand the thickness of the layer of powdered substance is increased it readily escapes from theface of the paper to become scattered over the premises and soils the hands and clothes of the person laying the building material. This condition has been long recognized. and various attempts have been made to providea waterproofed and fireproofed building material having a smooth clean outer surface that. will not stick to 7 other coils when wound into a roll, with consequent loss of material.

In accordance with the present invention, the foundation fabric, whetherof paper, or"

of the treated fabric is applied a thin film" of wax-like substance that. imparts to the fabric a clean, non-sticky slick-finish which Such substances, however, while does not detract from the fireproofing characteristic of the roofing or building material as a whole, provided the fireproofing material is employed. 7 v

The wax-like substance employed to produce the desired slick finish may be applied in various ways to the outer surface of the treated fabric whether the outer surface material be fireproofing or Waterproofing substance, but it is important that the temperature of the wax be carefully controlled during its application to the fabric,because if the temperature is toohigh the wax will penetrate into the'outer surface material further than is desired,whil'e if the temperature is too low the Wax will be applied in a thicker film than is desired.

If a wax-like material such as parafline stearin pitch is applied to the fabric and is allowed to cool and then the parafiine wax is applied over the coating in a thin film and at a temperature considerably below the melting point of the pitch, the latter will be given a clean, non-sticky surface while at the same time its fire-repellent properties .will not 'have been appreciably affected.

This is due to the fact that the film of wax when properly applied does not alter the nature of the fire-repellent coating but merely forms a thin film over the same and the amount of wax "required to form this film is so small that it will not support combustion.

In the following instance of the invention described in connection with the drawingsi the foundation fabric is described as forme of paper which is treated with a waterproofing material and then has applied thereto a coating of fire-repellent material, to which the slick finish of parafline wax isapplied to produce'a fir proof fabric which hasa smooth, clean,- nonsticky, outer, surfacev that difi'ersfrom the powdered micaor talc employed heretofore in that the slick finish remainsa permanent part of the line 4.--4 of Fig.1; and

structure as a whole and permits unwinding of the roll of building or roofing material without injury thereto.

In the drawings Fig.1 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of paper having different portions of its surface shown as subjected to the different treatments. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. .1; n

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken on the Fig. 5 is a sectional view line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The treated paper forming the subject matter of the present invention may be employed for various purposes but is particu-' larly well adapted for use as a building} paper or roofing paper. A relatively thick inexpensive grade of paper may be employed to form the sheet 10, and this sheet is rendered waterproof by applying to,the same a moisture-proofing substance; which may be a bituminous material, suchfor instance as asphalt, pitch or the like preferably of taken on the high penetrating properties. The moistureproofing substance may be applied to the paper by passing the sheet through a bath ofthe heated material, or if desired the paper stock may be treated with the mois ture-proofing substance before the stock is formed into the finished sheet 10. The moisture proofing substance 11 should have sufficient penetrating properties and should be so applied that it will impregnate all portions of the paper to exclude moisture from the same.

The moisture-proofed paper 11 is rendered fire-proof by applying a coating 12 to one or both faces of the paper, and while the fire-proof coating may be formed of different materials, it is preferably formed of stearin pitch, because this. pitch is flame-repellent to a high degree due to its tendency to form protecting blisters, in the presence of fire,

over the face of the surface to whichit is applied. Stearin pitch has less penetrating properties than the waterproofing substance 11 and forms a protecting coating over the face of the paper, as will be apparent from Fig. 4. The fire-repellent coating such as stearin pitch or other form. of fatty acid pitch may be applied to the moistureproofed paper bypassing the paper through a hot bath of the desired pitch and the excess pitch may be removed by passing the paper between squeeze rolls as it leaves the ot bath, or if desired rolls may be employed to apply the fire-repellent coating to only one face of the paper. In either case the fire-repellent substance should have'a melting point considerably above the melting point of the paraflin orother slick finish coating, so that the former coating will not be melted by the application of the paraflin or the like in a melted condition.

The protecting coating 12, whether formed of stearin pitch or other fire-proof material,

should have a more or less sticky, non-drying nature which will adhere firmly to the face of the paper and which will not dry The manufacturers of fire-proofed building and roofing paper have endeavored for years to find a satisfactory finishing material that could be applied to the fire-proofing coatin to prevent the adjacent coils of the treate paper from sticking together. But their efforts in this direction have met with difficulties because the application of aninflammable material to the fire-proofed coating would render the paper inflammable, orat least greatly reduce-its flame repellin properties, whereas the use of powdere mica, talc or the like makes the treated paper dirty to handle, as above pointed out.

The above mentioned difliculties are overcome, in accordance with the present invention, by applying to the fire-proof coating.

12 a thin film of wax material such as parafiine. The wax material is of course inflammable if applied as a coating of ap preciable thickness, but it is found that a very thin film of parafline wax 13 applied to the more or less sticky coating 12 will prevent the adjacent coils of the rolled paper from sticlq'ng together, and that it will also impart to the paper a smooth, clean, nonsticky surface that is highly desirable. Fur thermore, when the wax material is applied to the fire-proof coating in a thin film and all excess wax is removed from the face of the coating, it is found that the presence of this small amount of wax does not appreciably increase the inflammability of the coated paper 12. I

The melted wax material may be applied to the surface of the fireproofed coating 12 by any suitable means, but care should be taken to see that only a thin filnr of wax is applied and that all excess wax is reaccordance with the present invention is moisture proof and fireproof to a high degree, and wears'well under all weather conditions. Furthermore, it has a smooth, clean slick finish which is inexpensive to produce and the adjacent coil of which will not stick together when wound in a roll, and since the wax material is applied in an extremely thin film the flame repelling properties of the coating 12 are not appreciably affected.

I claim:

1. A waterproof and flame repellent building paper, comprising a relatively thick sheet of paper having a face thereof covered with a waterproof and flame-retarding coating of stearin pitch adapted to blister when exposed to fire and over which coating is applied a thin film of paraffin wax to impart to the pitch covered face of the paper a smooth, clean, non-sticky surface that is flame-repellent.

2. A waterproof and flame-repellent protecting sheet, comprising a sheet of paper having a face thereof covered with a waterproof and flame-retarding coating of a flame retarding pitch and over which coating is applied a thin film of wax material to impart to the pitch covered face of the paper a smooth, clean, non-sticky surface that is flame-repellent.

3. A flame-repellent flexible sheet, com prising a sheet of paper having a face thereof covered-with a flame-repellent coating of a flame-retarding pitch and over which coating is applied a thin film of wax material which does not penetrate appreciably beneath the surface of said coating and which imparts to the coating a smooth, clean, nonstielcy surface without rendering the coating inflammable. y 1

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

OTTO A. FREDERICKSON. 

